1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water cooled air conditioner, and more particularly, to a water cooled air conditioner including a plurality of compressors for compressing refrigerant and a plurality of oil separators for filtering oil discharged from the compressors, and having a constitution which allows the oil filtered in the plurality of oil separators to return into all or any one of the plurality of compressors.
2. Description of the Related Art
An air conditioner is a cooling/heating apparatus installed in an indoor space such as an office or a home to cool or heat air of the indoor space. The air conditioner uses a repeating refrigerating cycle made up of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation operations. The air conditioner discharges heat of condensation or heat of evaporation into an outdoor space generally using air of the outdoor space.
Generally, an air conditioner includes an indoor unit conditioning the air of the indoor space by exchanging heat with the air of the indoor space and an outdoor unit connected to the indoor unit through a pipe, in which refrigerant exchanges heat with outdoor air. Also, an indoor heat exchanger in which the air of the indoor space exchanges heat with the refrigerant is provided in the indoor unit, and an outdoor heat exchanger in which a compressor compressing the refrigerant that exchanges heat with the outdoor air is provided in the outdoor unit.
Meanwhile, the compressor compressing the refrigerant to a high temperature and a high pressure is installed in the outdoor unit of the air conditioner. That is, the compressor, having a cylindrical shape with a predetermined diameter, is provided to compress the refrigerant into a high temperature/pressure gaseous state. Also, one or a plurality of compressors are provided in the outdoor unit.
However, when only one compressor compressing the refrigerant into the high temperature and pressure gas is provided, a problem occurs in that the compressor (having a limited compressing capacity) is damaged by an operation overload when conditioning air of the indoor space. Also, excessive load in the compressor reduces the operating lifespan of the compressor.
Also, oil flow between the compressors does not occur when a plurality of compressor are used. That is, an oil separator, which returns oil discharged from the compressors, is installed in one side of each of the compressors, and the oil separated in each of the oil separators is returned into each of the compressors through a return pipe.
Therefore, the oil discharged from each of the compressors is returned into each of the compressors and oil flow between the compressors does not occur.
Thus, because each of the compressors is operated at a different capacity, an oil shortage occurs in any one compressor having a larger capacity and an oil surplus occurs in another compressor having a smaller capacity.
When the oil shortage of the compressor occurs, the compressor is damaged during operation of the compressor. Also, servicing costs increase and product reliability decreases if the compressor is damaged.